Olympics 2010: the gear that's winning

Can Head sell more skis because of Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller? The answer is yes���in Europe, at least. Americans���unless they���re avid racers���are typically unswayed by who skis what on the World Cup. Europeans, by contrast, are keenly aware. But the Olympics are different, and even in America, it can���t hurt Head to have all those Head skis and boots on the podium.

When a top racer switches gear sponsors, as Vonn did, going from Rossignol to Head last year, it���s big news���and often big money, with six-figure endorsement contracts for the superstars. ���Victory schedules������performance bonuses tied to results���can push the payoffs even higher. A good Olympics can cost your brand a fortune.

Manufacturers take big risks betting on who they think will perform and what they���re worth. So, which companies stand to gain the biggest marketing boost from these Winter Games? Atomic came on strong yesterday, with an all-Atomic podium that brought their total to eight medals so far. But Head, with Vonn and Miller raking in the medals, remains on top, with eight. Rossi has five medals; Stockli has three. Here���s a look at the Olympic podium results so far by manufacturer.